Owner Billy has owned Holmbyre Boarding Cattery for the past five years constantly improving the business and increasing the number of chalets available for cats. He's recently introduced small animal boarding to the list of services offered too and has a lot of plans for the future too.

But it was time for a change and an updated look. Billy first had a designer pull together a new logo. We then had a chat about a new website as the existing one was difficult to update and Billy had to get somebody to do that on his behalf each and every time. After we agreed what the content would be, we knew we would need some images of the cats. So it was great to be able to combine my photography together with building a website and I spent an entire morning trying to capture all of the cats on camera.

All of this has resulted in a very visual website putting cats at the very heart of the business which is where they should be. The new website creates a warm and welcoming feel to existing and potential new customers. Plus, by using images of cats that have actually used Holmbyre's services adds a level of professionalism and sets them apart from the competition.

Just recently I've also been able to help Billy with sourcing some online booking software enabling people to book their cat in themselves. It's all been integrated into the website too and immediately notifies the cattery of new bookings.

Caroline got in touch at a time she was re-evaluating her entire business. She was also relocating and closing her lovely shop in Kilbarchan, Scotland. Her old website had layers and layers of content, sometimes overlapping and repeating what had already been said. So the main objective with creating a brand new website was to completely overhaul the existing content and simplify what Caroline was offering.

As we worked on new text and a site structure, it became apparent that most of the images that Caroline had of her work had been taken using a mobile phone. Although that's not always a bad thing, they were very inconsistent in quality. Having very good images of Caroline's work was a top priority as that's what potential customers would see first and ensure they got in touch. Fortunately, a lot of photographers were willing to supply professionally taken images of Caroline's flowers and it's those images that you'll see on the new website.

Strong imagery is the main thing you might notice when looking at Caroline's website. This is to create a strong first impression to potential customers, something that has the wow factor and sets Caroline apart from her competitors.

I also introduced the idea of creating some emotive wording to work alongside the imagery used. I wanted people to visit the website and be completely immersed in the beauty of the flowers and of the occasions for which they were created for. The home page introduces small captions such as 'Ever since I met you', 'In Your Arms', 'The Beginning of Forever' and 'You and Me Always'.

Your website is a crucial marketing tool

Having a new website built can be an exciting journey. But there's not much point building one only to then leave it to gather dust.

Your website should act as a marketing tool and used frequently. By updating it and making changes regularly, search engines will know that you've made those changes and make sure your potential clients find you. A blog can be really useful for this as you're essentially providing fresh content and the likes of Google want to put that in front of the people searching for it. A calendar can also help if you're posting lots of new events. These are great ways of updating your website on a regular basis, even if it's once a week or every fortnight.

Make sure you're website is a part of your business alongside your social channels such as Facebook and Instagram. You are 100% in control of your website so you should always drive people to the content on there. Facebook and Instagram could disappear overnight and you will have lost everything you have posted, so be in full control of your content. Social media are simply tools to point people in the right direction.

At Site Owl, I can help you develop your content so you can tell a story about your business. Even if you don't think you have anything to say, I bet there are some nuggets of information that want to be told.

Hello and a very warm welcome

You may have already browsed the Site Owl website, but in a nutshell, it's all about creating an inspiring online space for small businesses who have passionate owners. That's you right?

What I want this blog to be about, is you. I'm a small business owner too. I've been part of different networks over the years with like minded people. I've worked in little coffee shops with my laptop and thoughts (and let's face it, watching the world go by). I've created lots of different things like brochures and websites and things I can be proud of. I've procrastinated (a lot). I've been driven to succeed. I've had highs and I've had lows. I've trawled through the peaks and troughs of running a business. Would I have it any other way? No. Would you? I'm guessing not.

So the writings and thoughts and musings in here will be little snippets of how we run our businesses and the realities that lay behind that. You know what I'm talking about!

A new website is just the beginning. A tool to help you be the best you can be online. Your shop window. A great first impression. Always remain human, be yourself and help inspire others around you by just being you and being proud of what you've achieved.

I really want to connect with you. So come on over to Facebook, Instagram or even just leave a comment here to say hello. Tell me what running your business looks like today. Is it having a coffee somewhere whilst writing down your ideas? Is it the boring task of admin or accounts? Is it creating something new? Whatever it is, let's talk about it!